I hope some of you will take the time to read this
Fire Update from the Wild Animal Park
Posted at 9:37 am October 25, 2007 by Yadira Galindo
Windows Media version | Quicktime version
In this video, Wild Animal Park curator of birds Mike Mace talks about the recent fires that threatened the Wild Animal Park.
It’s unbelievable! So much land has been scorched in North San Diego County, including 600 acres at the San Diego Zoo’s Wild Animal Park, but I have to say that I repeatedly breathed a heavy sigh of relief Wednesday as I toured the Park for the first time since the fires relentlessly moved through the area.
It could have been devastating. Hillsides along the outskirts of the Wild Animal Park, where visitors don’t go, burned everything from shrubs to cactus, stopping in most cases just short of animal housing, in some instances because of the heroic work of our dedicated staff and other times it may have been sheer luck. The fire was sweeping downhill quickly, making its way towards areas housing endangered species such as dholes (wild dogs), cheetahs, and a variety of birds such as clapper rails and hornbills. Using hoses and any other resources available, our animal care staff tried to keep the dholes safe as the fire closed in. Two members of the garage team drove past in a water truck; they stopped immediately to help. They drove circles around the enclosure pouring water into the dholes’ housing, hoping to saturate it with enough water to reduce the impact of the fire. The team stopped only when the fire was unsafely close. Miraculously, the fire pushed past the dhole and cheetah enclosures, burning only the vegetation and dirt paths between the two areas while leaving the animals untouched.
As the fire moved past the dholes, it crept up to the off-exhibit bird compound. Some of these critically endangered species had been evacuated to a safe zone at the Park (the Paul Harter Veterinary Medical Center), but others stayed behind. The loss would have been disastrous. The fire burned right up against the Bird Breeding Complex, causing damage to one evacuated aviary. But the rest of the complex was left untouched. The fire continued on the west, sidestepping the hub of the Park and moving alongside the outlying areas. If you visit the Park, you will see burned hillsides resting against the Park’s large field enclosures. But the animal enclosures housing rhinos, giraffes, antelope, birds, and others are still green. Irrigated and clear of heavy vegetation, it was the safest place for these animals.
As the fires approached, most animals headed to the other end of their enclosures and simply watched. They didn’t seem to panic, say keepers. In fact, some animals simply stayed where they were and merely glanced in the fire’s direction. Unfortunately, we did lose two of the Park’s 3,500 animals as of Wednesday, October 24: a kiang (wild ass) and a clapper rail. They were not burned but likely were stressed by the fire. We did everything we could to keep them safe. Both animals are a significant loss to the Park, but the actions of our staff and firefighters saved thousands of other lives.
When the fire threatened the Park’s Conifer Forest, firefighters came to our side, stopping it before it could do any critical damage. Had they not, this story may have had a very different ending. We didn’t come out of this completely unscathed. We lost one of the California condor breeding facilities, but once again no animals were lost. The California condors had also been moved to the Park’s safe-zone. We lost Festival of Lights fixtures and decorations, but these are material items that can be replaced. The vegetation will come back and the buildings rebuilt. So I breathed a heavy sigh of relief seeing that the 600 acres that burned on the Park grounds will not change the heart of the Park: the animals and our staff.
It amazes me hearing the stories of the Park’s employees. So many of them did not know if their homes were still standing. Their homes were directly in the path of the fire, many had been evacuated themselves, and still they stayed for hours fighting to keep the animals safe. They stayed until they were asked to leave when the fires threatened the Park and returned as soon as it was safe. There was no hesitation on anyone’s part and that’s what made the Park lucky!
Even San Diego Zoo staff was at the Park helping in whatever way possible. As I walked through the Park I ran across one of our CRES researchers cleaning chairs. Everyone was working as a team, even if meant doing a job that is completely out of their field. Sigh. This is truly a wonderful and dedicated family. I am proud to be on this team.
As for the animals, it was life as usual for most of them Wednesday. The animals in the fields grazed, slept, pranced, and simply lived. The last of the animals evacuated to the safe zone moved back to their homes Wednesday and so the Park is returning to normal, just a little charred but safe.
Thank you to the dedicated Park and Zoo staff for all you do, as well as the emergency services units that assisted us during this crisis. Thank you all for your support!
Yadira Galindo is a public relations representative for the Zoological Society of San Diego.